Clothes and Ethnic Identity: (Re)Constructing Identity Through Cultural Clothes As Ethnic Markers the Case of Siltie Nationality of Southern Ethiopia

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Clothes and Ethnic Identity: (Re)Constructing Identity Through Cultural Clothes As Ethnic Markers the Case of Siltie Nationality of Southern Ethiopia Faculty of Humanities, Social Science and Education Clothes and Ethnic Identity: (Re)Constructing Identity through Cultural Clothes as Ethnic Markers The Case of Siltie Nationality of Southern Ethiopia Kederala Mohammed Ahmed Thesis submitted to the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies May 2017 Clothes and Ethnic Identity (Re)Constructing Identity through Cultural Clothes as Ethnic Markers: The Case of Siltie Nationality of Southern Ethiopia A Master Thesis submitted by Kederala Mohammed Ahmed Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty of Humanities, Social Science and Education The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) May 2017 Supervised by Professor Sidsel Saugestad Department of Archaeology and Social Anthropology The Arctic University of Norway (UIT) Dedication to My Parents Mohammed Ahmed/Siltie Shemege Nasir Acknowledgments I would like to forward my heartfelt acknowledgment to Professor Sidsel Saugestad, who as advisor, devoted her time and energy in finalizing this work and I am also very grateful for her constructive comments and her companionship and cooperation. I thank the Arctic University of Norway (UiT), Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånnekassen) and Center for Sami Studies for their coordinated support in my two year journey in Tromso. The UiT admissions, Lånnekassen for financing my stay and the Sami Center for the courses and other support (in kind or in moral). My heartfelt gratitude goes to all the staff at the Sami Center especially to Hildegunn Bruland and Rachel Issa Djessa. In my field trip I came across a number of wonderful people. I am happy to express my respect to all my research participants for their time and energy which they shared with me. The Siltie Zone culture, Tourism and Public Communication office for all the material support and for facilitating my movement across the Woredas (districts). I also thank the Institute of Indigenous Studies, Dilla University for your permission which allowed me to pursue my education abroad. I also want to show my sincere and deepest gratitude to my friends and colleagues - Dr Asebe, Dr Ongaye, Yitbarek, Admasu, Dawit - for your moral and material support and encouragement in the course of my academic training. My sisters and brothers, I am very proud to have you in my circle. My brothers, Abdurehman and Mohammed Abdurezak, you guys have been wonderful as always. Last but not least I am highly proud of and grateful for my parents and family: my mother, Shemege Nassir, my father, Mohammed Ahmed/Siltie and my uncle, Shemsedin and my beloved aunt, Barsebe for their unconditional love and support. You have imprinted your finger prints on my whole personality. i ii Abstract Clothes and Ethnic Identity: (Re)Constructing Identity through Cultural Clothes as Ethnic Markers. The Case of Siltie Nationality of Southern Ethiopia is a project which investigates the new trends of “creating” costumes among ethnic groups in Ethiopia, with a focus on the interface between cultural costumes and ethnic identity. The project uses the Siltie people as its case. I am attracted to this issue because of my personal observation of this trend among the ethnic groups in my locality. Following the 1995 ethnic federalism arrangement, many nations and nationalities of Ethiopia started to develop and promote their language for education, administration, legal purposes and so on. Moreover, they began to (re)write their histories, and promote their “traditional” costumes. Along the lines of promoting their costumes, the nationalities have started to identify the color, symbols and signs associated with their ‘distinctive’ cultures. The attempt to find symbolic representations, in some case, resulted in producing cultural costumes with “new” signs, symbols and colors which have never been used on their costume. The Siltie people are one of the ethnic groups who got a new ‘cultural’ costume following this trend. Hence, the main objective of the research is, to trace the changes and continuity in the ‘cultural’ dressing of the community and examine the incentives for creating “new” costumes. The research examines the links between the newly designed costume and the Siltie people’s culture, history and religion. Knowing people’s reflection and reaction regarding the ‘newly invented’ costume was a main objective of this project. I gathered extensive qualitative data through interviews, focus group discussions and observation and used available secondary resources and other readings. The intensification in the (re)production of cultural markers in general and clothes in particular in contemporary Ethiopia is strongly linked to the post-1991 constitutional developments in the country. The current politics in Siltie regarding clothing cannot be separated from its long-term quest for ethnic recognition, which in turn is seen as a way to get back to self-administration, enjoying, protecting and promoting one's own cultural values and heritages. Though the costume is elitists’ drive project, it is getting acceptance. If the promotion of the costume continues and keeps its momentum, it is expected that it would be a part and parcel the people’s culture and serve as an identity marker of the group underlining an “Us” and “Them” distinction. Keywords: Ethiopia, Siltie, Clothes, Ethnic Group, Identity, Representation iii Lists of Abbreviations EPRDF: Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front GPDF: Gurage Peoples’ Democratic Front GPRDM: Gurage Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Movement SAMWGPOD: The Silti, Azernet-Bereber/Alicho, Melga/Mesqan, Wolene/Wuriro and Gedebano Peoples’ Democratic Organization SAMWGDPM: The Silti, Azernet-Bereber/Alicho, Melga/Mesqan, Wolene/Wuriro and Gedebano Peoples’ Democratic Movement SNNPRS: The Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State SPUDP: The Siltie People Democratic Union Party iv List of Photos Picture 1: Zuria a leather made clothing of the past Siltie dressing culture, p. 30 Picture 2: Siltie Girl in the old way dressing – Qeta and Zuria, p. 30 Picture 3: A Siltie girls on a stage showing their dressing style, p. 31 Picture 4: Ladies with Shamma clothing performing Siltie folk dancing, p.36 Picture 5: Cultural representatives of one of the Siltie Woreda (district) - girls dressing Shamma and boys dressing in Pakistani’s Shalwar-Kameez kind of clothing, p.36 Picture 6: designers of the new Siltie costume displaying their first alternatives for critics, p.37 Picture 7: New Siltie costume presented at 2012 Symposium, p.37 Picture 8: 2013’s Symposium Participants with the newly designed Siltie costume, p.38 Picture 9: A “Halaba hat” from Sankur market of Siltie Zone, p.39 Picture 10: Ye Qatibare hat, p.41 Picture 11: The newly designed Siltie hat, p.42 Picture 12: A Siltie girl decorating family house, p.50 Picture 13: Siltie Cultural Representatives at Nations, Nationalities and Peoples day, p.50 Picture 14: A hut decorated with the ‘Siltie colors’, p.52 Picture 15: A School gate colored with the ‘Siltie colors’ at Alkeso town, p.54 Picture 16: Cultural Institution fence colored with the ‘Siltie colors’ at Worabe town, p.54 Picture 17: Commercial Bank wall colored with the ‘Siltie colors’ at Sankura town, p.54 Picture 18: Private house colored with the ‘Siltie colors’ at Alkeso, p.54 Picture 19: Habesha Kemis a cultural costume dominantly from northern Ethiopia, p.57 Picture 20: Habesha Kemis decorated with the ‘Siltie colors’, p.57 v Maps Map 1 Administrative map of SNNPRs Map 2 Administrative map of Siltie Zone Source: South Nations Nationalities and People’s Regional State Administration vi Table of Contents Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... i Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... iii Lists of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ iv List of Photos................................................................................................................................ v Maps ……………………………………………………………………………………………vi Chapter One ................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background.................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem and research questions ...................................................................................... 3 1.3 Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Methods and Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 5 1.4.1 Data collection methods ................................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 Study area description ............................................................................................................................................ 8 1.6 Reflexivity and Ethical issues ..............................................................................................................................
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